A Field Trip
by PresentlyPastDFuture
Summary: A rather humorous look at how Galinda and Elphaba have met before Shiz University in primary school. Neither remembers each other later in life, but they do remember the incident very well.


Disclaimer: In my dreams I own all characters of "Wicked," in reality Gregory Maguire has that pleasure

Summary: Galinda and Elphaba have met before Shiz University in primary school. Though neither remembers each other later in life, but they do remember the incident very well. A telling look at how, even at a young age, a true friendship would form.

A/N: This is my first fanfiction ever, so please review! Comments good and bad are appreciated, but please take my inexperience into account!

**A Field Trip**

Just what Elphaba needed, another reason for more people to tease and stare at her while they whispered behind her back. _Who knows?_ The green girl smiled wryly, _maybe I'll get lucky and meet a new friend_. But the thought left as quickly as it came.

Today a primary school class, the same grade as Elphaba's, was coming on a field trip from Gillikin to visit Munchkinland. One of those stupid excursions meant to expand the minds of little children and show them different places besides their homeland. _In reality_, the raven head thought cynically, _those field trips just result in a different place for kids to play and taunt_.

The kids came by train, which was normal enough. But their outfits and mannerisms indicated that they lived far differently than the average citizens of Oz. The boys wore diamond- or plaid- patterned vests over well designed shirts and sophisticated ties. Their pants were neatly ironed. The girls wore mainly pink. Their dresses clung tightly at the top, but the lower halves were wide and had enough frills than was good for them. Both boys and girls were a haughty bunch with blonde hair and blue eyes. All of them had arrogance that matched their good looks.

As soon as one particularly conceited boy, who looked as if he might be the leader of the group, spotted Elphaba, he whispered to the others. The students made no effort to be surreptitious as talks began. By the time lunch came, the teasing started and the same boy even attempted to trip Elphaba as she was finding a place to eat, but she was far too quick and smart to fall for the trick. It was only at recess where things began to get nasty.

"Look what we have here," said the boy that Elphaba was now truly beginning to hate. They were standing on the sidewalk where, Elphaba realized too late, it was far from both the teachers' eyes.

"Looks like an ugly artichoke Pastorius," a large boy that stood to Pastoriu's side said stupidly. He looked like his body guard.

"I'd be careful if I were you Meatloaf," the green girl warned with more conviction than she felt.

The large boy looked to his leader for instructions, as if not knowing if he had been insulted or not. Pastorius ignored her comment. "What do we normally do to disgusting artichokes, Obtusius?" he asked in an authoritative voice to another equally large boy.

Obtusius did not look kindly at Elphaba. "We cover them with chocolate to make them taste better," he said with a smirk.

With that, the three boys grabbed Elphaba by the legs and arms. She started to scream, but Obtusius covered her mouth forcefully. Elphaba kicked and flung her arms, but the boys were much too strong. They began to carry her to an area that used to be a large pond. It had not rained for many months now and the pond was little more than a large mud hole.

"Stop boys," Pastorius commanded. "I think that this kind of chocolate will have to do. Throw her in!"

Elphaba's arms flew wildly while her stomach took the biggest impact with a loud belly flop. She landed with a large splash as her entire body became submerged. Elphaba frantically righted herself as she gained footing and found that she was chest deep in the mud. She was covered in a thick layer of muck and no green skin lay exposed. The boys laughed as they ran away.

"Stupid jerks! Ralihi Ralihi Cowish Moogish Taillish! Ralihi Ralihi Cowish Moogish Taillish!" The words came into Elphaba's head and she blurted them out in anger. She had never heard them before, but had since learned to trust the spells that she seemed to have been born with.

She heard a low bellow and a moo or two. Then-

"Pastorious, you have a Cow's tail!"

"I do no- What in Oz! What happened? I'll get the green girl for this!"

"No! She may do something else to us!"

Silence.

"Wait a minute. That green witch may do something else to us. We have to tell Master Obnox. He'll fix it."

As the footsteps began to die away, Elphaba felt rather please with herself. But, then an itchiness began on her arms. She realized it may have been because of the water that constituted to the mud and her anger returned. She became angrier when she realized how difficult it was to take a step. The bottom was like quicksand and every move felt as if she was being pulled further below the mud surface. Elphaba would have to lose the shoes and ask her father for a pair of new ones.

The mud was beginning to dry on Elphaba's face and arms-the areas which were exposed to the air. She began to feel less itchy and hoped that the rash would not be as bad as she thought. Elphaba was still struggling to get out when she spotted a pink girl walking down the sidewalk.

No, Elphaba corrected herself. The girl was not pink, she simply wore too much pink. The dress was the usually Gillikinese kind-a lot of frills and sparkles. The girl had pink shoes with pink hairpieces and even a pink flower sat on her perfectly curled golden hair. She looked rather distraught and seemed to not have noticed a mud-covered figure in, what used to be, a pond. Although Elphaba did not know it at the time, this girl was Galinda and, in a few years, she would change her life forever. But for now, Elphaba was simply taken aback that someone could wear so much pink.

Suddenly, the tiny pink figure stopped and burst into tears. Elphaba was rather alarmed at first, but then curiosity got the better of her. She asked, "I-is everything ok?"

The blonde head shook from side to side and the girl continued to cry into her hands.

Elphaba's curiosity was starting to turn into irritation. She did not have time for this drama and would not have pity for anyone who came from Gillikin, especially someone in so much pink.

"They said my dress has too many frills."

Elphaba was not sure if the girl had spoken. "Excuse me?" she asked before she could stop herself.

The blonde continued, her face leaving her hands and the mesmerizing blue eyes looked earnestly at Elphaba's brown ones. "I heard them whispering and saying that I had too many frills and that it was much too mature for a girl my age to have that many frills and that my mother did not know how to dress a proper young lady in an age-appropriate way," Galinda rushed in one breath.

Elphaba was still slightly speechless from the girl's beautiful face that had emerged from those graceful hands. The green girl could now appreciate the slender nose, two bright sapphire eyes, and enviably-shaped lips. "Well-they….are you…that's it?" Elphaba, who was used to being teased, as indicated by the current situation, suddenly realized the trivial nature of what the pink-clad Gillikinese had said.

"What do you mean 'that's it?' Those girls slandisfied my mother and humilitated me in front of everyone!" Galinda nearly shouted.

Elphaba tried not to laugh at the girl's predicament and her obvious wrong use of the words. Instead, she thought that maybe if she helped the girl, the girl would help her out of this mud mess. It seemed that the trauma of the girl's situation still blinded her to the fact that Elphaba was covered in mud. "Well…" Elphaba began, "It depends on how they said it."

"What do you mean?" the blue eyes questioned her.

"You said they whispered it, so it wasn't exactly made public," Elphaba reasoned.

"But they whispered it to nearly everyone!" the girl said dramatically, fresh tears beginning to form in her wide eyes.

_Ok_, Elphaba thought quickly, _a different approach_. "Well, it shouldn't matter what they think because you act like a grown lady, so you should wear a grown lady's clothing. Besides, I bet the boys don't mind the extra frills. I know I don't." Elphaba regretted the last sentence and her blush went unnoticed beneath the mud cover.

"You really think I act like a grown lady?" the girl asked in wonder and surprise. She sniffled a little, but the statement seemed to abate her crying.

"Absolutely, and I bet those girls are just jealous anyways that their own mothers didn't dress them in extra frills." Elphaba added confidently.

The blonde's luscious lips broke into a wide smile and she squealed in delight. "You know, I bet they are. My mother went into a special shop and had my dress _custom_-designed for me specially. She also told me I was a big girl that needed a _motured_ dress."

Elphaba smiled at the lapse in diction and felt rather proud of herself for comforting this superficial, if not beautiful, girl.

Galinda seemed to finally have noticed that Elphaba was in an uncomfortable situation. It seemed that now that her troubles were over, she could focus on others. "By the way, why are you covered in mud? I wouldn't be brave enough to have a single finger touch that mud! Do you know how much buckterium live there?" the blue eyes widened theatrically.

Elphaba chose to answer only the first question. "I figured this would be a good place to take a bath," she replied sarcastically with a straight face.

Her wit went unnoticed by Galinda. "I don't think that's very sanitary."

Elphaba repressed another laugh but continued, "It isn't? In that case, can you help me out of this mud hole, I think I feel some of the _buckterium_ beginning to nibble on me."

"Oh, sweet Oz! We have to get you out quick! But how?"

_How else?!_ Elphaba nearly shouted. "I was thinking maybe you could stretch your hand out, I would take it, and we can both force myself out of the mud." Elphaba stated it as though the thought suddenly occurred to her. "But maybe that's too complicated."

Galinda looked skeptical, "But that might get mud on my hands, let alone dirty my dress."

Elphaba was quiet for a moment. She continued staring with disbelief at the blonde, "It may."

"Oh I know! We can get a stick and I'll help you with it!" the girl said, proud that she was so bright at having such a wonderful idea.

_Recess must surely be over by now_, the dark haired girl thought. _I could have been out of this mud hole a long time ago!_ "Great idea," Elphaba said edgily, "just find one quickly!"

The pink figure jumped a little at the sharpness of Elphaba's words. After a few clock ticks, she found a good size stick. Within moments, after surprisingly strong pulls from the little blonde, Elphaba was out of the mud hole. She was still covered in a thick layer of grime and now it seemed as if her entire body might be encased within the drying mud.

"Why would you ever think to take a bath in there?" Galinda asked with amusement and a fit of giggles.

Elphaba was not sure how to reply to the ludicrous question. Was the girl really asking? "It's really soothing once you get used to it actually," she deadpanned.

Blue eyes searched her with doubt and then the blonde decided that this girl was unusual to say the least. She was very nice, but definitely unique. If only Galinda knew just how extraordinary she was. "Are any of the buckterium getting at you now?"

Mud still covered Elphaba, so it was not as if the "buckterium" had disappeared. But it was not the silly question that shocked her. Rather, it was the fact that someone cared enough to ask. She replied with a gentleness that shocked even her, "I don't think so." Then Elphaba added with a smile, "You got me out just in time, thanks."

"Oh, no problem! Well, I guess I have to go. Thank you for your comfort and consolansation."

Elphaba smiled again, this girl was beginning to grow on her. Not too many people could amuse the green girl. "And I am most grateful for your help today. You have saved me from a most terrible fate."

The girl's grin was infectious and lit up the already sunny day. "I have a wonderful story to tell my Momsie and Popsicle!"

The blonde began to skip off when Elphaba called out. The pink dress twirled charmingly as Galinda turned around. "I just want to say," Elphaba grasped for the right words, "I truly am obliged. Thank you."

The grin grew, if possible, even wider and Galinda nearly pranced back to the place where her classmates were now waiting so that they may board the train back to Gillikin.

And Elphaba was thankful. It was true that she could have gotten out of the mud hole in much less time if she had not comforted the girl. But because of the blonde, she now knew what a small part of benevolence felt like. Not all Gillikinese were bad. And, Elphaba supposed, not all of Oz was bad either. If only she could have known the girl's name. _Maybe_, Elphaba thought wildly, _we could have even been friends_.

The rest of Elphaba's class had already been dismissed to go home and she began her long trek as the sludge encasing her nearly made it impossible to move. Elphaba's shoes had remained at the bottom of the pond and the ground was hard and rough against her mud covered feet. Yet, Elphaba didn't seem to mind the daunting task of walking home in what felt like a body cast. No, in fact, she was rather happy. The day's hardhips, the teasing boys and girls and the bully Pastorious with his comrades, seemed to melt away at the single thought of a bright-eyed blonde. With a smile, Elphaba found that she actually welcomed the idea of another class field trip, if only to experience a sliver of the kindness she received today from a special Gillikinese girl.

© 2010 GelphieForGood

A/N: I hope you guys will be kind enough to review! Please tell me if I overdid Galinda's mispronounciation of words? Did Elphaba seem too sarcastic and intelligent for her age? Thank you all for reading!


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